Fewer Florida nurses have bachelor's degrees, study finds

Nurses in Florida are falling behind the rest of the country in terms of education, a new University of Florida study suggests.

By Diane ChunStaff writer

Nurses in Florida are falling behind the rest of the country in terms of education, and that could be bad news for patients, a new University of Florida study suggests.A survey of 49,385 registered nurses revealed that the state has a significantly lower percentage of nurses with baccalaureate and graduate degrees than the nation as a whole — 41 percent versus 50 percent nationally.Previous research has found that the odds of patient mortality are significantly lower in hospitals where a high proportion of nurses have a baccalaureate or higher degree."The lower educational levels are not only worrisome because of possible effects on the quality and safety of patient care, but the pipeline for nursing faculty is greatly hampered when there are fewer nurses with graduate degrees," said lead researcher Donna Neff, an assistant professor in the UF College of Nursing.Neff said she sees the development of new RN-to-BSN programs in many of the state's colleges as a positive first step toward reducing the disparity. The bachelor's degree is the foundation for graduate-level education required for advance practice and faculty positions.A recent report from the national Institute of Medicine on the future of nursing recommends increasing the proportion of nurses with a BSN degree from 50 percent to 80 percent by 2020, and doubling the number of nurses with a doctorate in the same time frame.Nursing schools in Florida already turn away thousands of applicants each year because of a lack of resources, notably a shortage of qualified faculty as long-time teaching faculty members retire and fewer nurses are educated to replace them.Contact Diane Chun at chund@gvillesun.com or 374-5041.

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